Refuge Chez La Tante, the metamorphosis of a high-altitude myth

It is reached from Saint-Gervais-les-Bains by two gondolas, before reaching Mont d'Arbois. at 1,850 meters, facing Mont Joux, the building overlooks a 360° panorama of Mont-Blanc, Mont Joly, the Fiz chain and the Aravis mountains.

In the 1960s, it housed the first high-altitude self-service restaurant in the Alps. A functional, straightforward building designed to absorb the flow of skiers. The site then declined, until it closed some ten years ago. The massive facade remains, witness to another era of skiing. " There was a real expectation on the part of the locals. Chez La Tante is still an institution ," emphasizes hotel manager Brice Pelardy.

It took two years of work to transform the complex into a twenty-key hotel. The Beyond Places group chose to preserve the spirit of the refuge rather than impose a spectacular decor. The interior design, entrusted to the Alpine firm Monts et Merveilles, favors solid wood, thick textiles and cream and caramel tones. Volumes have been redistributed, surfaces almost doubled. The renovation emphasizes the existing structure without disguising it.

The bedrooms, some with extended balconies, frame the landscape. Heavy curtains, plaids, custom-made furnishings: coherence takes precedence. In each room, a cocktail trunk serves as an honesty bar, with ready-to-serve recipes. A detail that extends the experience in complete autonomy.

The spirit of refuge, 4-star hotel version

With just twenty rooms, including a family suite with a dormitory, the address remains on a human scale. Once the last gondola has come down, the lounge around the fireplace becomes the center of gravity. Time slows down.

The restaurant operates at two speeds. At lunchtime, up to 150 diners can be seated on the terrace or in the dining room; in the evening, around 40 diners are reserved for residents. Executive chef Weder Vil offers a short menu. " We prefer to have less choice and offer as many fresh, quality products as possible," explains the manager.

At the bar, the same rigor is expressed in the signature cocktail menu. Infusions and decoctions of mountain plants, Mont Blanc gin, green or yellow Chartreuse: each recipe is structured, balanced and as olfactory as it is tasty.

Downstairs, the spa offers the same coherence. An indoor swimming pool of over 40 m², sauna, hammam and treatment room featuring the protocols of Susanne Kaufmann, an Austrian brand renowned for its formulas based on alpine plants. The menu is deliberately short, with a signature treatment focusing on recovery or muscle preparation.

Le Refuge Chez La Tante does not accumulate motorized activities. Telescopes on the terrace, snowshoe outings at sunset, occasional evenings out: the luxury here is in the silence and the view.

The only departure from this asceticism is a professionally restored bowling alley two levels down, a nod to decades gone by and a playful interlude at the end of the evening. You can also stop off for lunch. But to understand the transformation of the place, you need to spend the night.

• Where? 4284 Route des Crêtes, 74170 Saint-Gervais-les-Bains
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